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Home of The Saturday Evening PostThu, 24 May 2018 16:00:30 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.8.6Driverless Cars and Flat TVs: Predictions of an Automated Future in 1956http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2018/05/14/in-the-magazine/driverless-cars-flat-tvs-predictions-automated-future-1956.html
http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2018/05/14/in-the-magazine/driverless-cars-flat-tvs-predictions-automated-future-1956.html#respondMon, 14 May 2018 13:00:11 +0000http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/?p=134217The idea of a driverless car must have seemed fantastic to Post readers when this ad appeared in 1956.

The idea of a driverless car must have seemed fantastic to Post readers when this ad appeared in 1956. Yet America’s Independent Power Companies, the advertiser, predicted they’d be a reality some day.

The ad gets many other things right: More than a decade before the invention of the microwave, it anticipated cooking food in seconds. It also predicted light sensors that automatically switch on lamps after dark, television screens that hang on the wall, and “electric heat pumps will use outside air to cool your house in summer, heat it in winter.”

Lastly, the ad claimed that the electric light and power companies were expecting the demand for electricity to double in 20 years. In this regard, they were wrong; it more than tripled.

]]>http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2018/05/14/in-the-magazine/driverless-cars-flat-tvs-predictions-automated-future-1956.html/feed0Vintage Ads: Polio, Pertussis, and Other Plagueshttp://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2018/03/21/archives/advertisements-archives/vintage-ads-polio-pertussis-plagues.html
Wed, 21 Mar 2018 16:00:28 +0000http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/?p=133134Diseases such as smallpox, typhoid, and polio used kill or injure thousands of people every year. These ads from drug and insurance companies encouraged people to make use of the new vaccines and antibiotics.

]]>Diseases such as smallpox, typhoid, and polio used kill or injure thousands of people every year. These ads from drug and insurance companies encouraged people to make use of the new vaccines and antibiotics.

Typhoid is a bacterial infection caused by consuming contaminated food or water. Two U.S. presidents — William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor — died of the disease. During the Civil War, 80,000 Union soldiers died of typhoid or dysentery, more than died in battle. After a vaccine was developed in the late 1800s, the entire U.S. Army was vaccinated, eliminating typhoid as a significant cause of death during World War I. Due to improved sanitation, typhoid is no longer a threat in the U.S., and people are advised to get vaccinated only if traveling to places where typhoid is common.

Smallpox was the first vaccine to be developed, in 1796, and the disease was already on its way to being eliminated when this ad appeared in 1928. The World Health Organization led a massive campaign to eradicate smallpox in the 1960s, and it was wiped out worldwide by 1977. Routine vaccination in the U.S. ended in 1972, and now smallpox exists only in laboratories.

Metropolitan Life: Can You Answer These Questions about Tuberculosis? April 12, 1947 (Click to Enlarge)

The tuberculosis vaccine is the most widely used vaccine in the world; more than 90% of children are vaccinated. Unfortunately, tuberculosis continues to be a significant global problem. One-third of the world’s population is thought to be infected with latent or active tuberculosis. In 2016, there were 10 million cases of active infections and 1.3 million deaths. TB can be treated with antibiotics, but antibiotic reisistance is a growing problem.

Rexall Drugs: What Your Doctor Wants You to Know about Tetanus Toxoid April 3, 1948 (Click to Enlarge)

Many remember being terrified of stepping on a rusty nail and getting “lockjaw,” the more colorful name for tetanus. Tetanus is an infection caused by bacteria found in soil, manure, and dust. The bacteria can cause severe muscle spasms, which usually start in the jaw. Because of the extreme potency of the tetanospasmin toxin, recovery from naturally acquired tetanus does not usually result in immunity. Luckily for barefooted explorers, there is a vaccine.

Metropolitan Life: Are You Sure Your Child Is Ready for School? August 20, 1955 (Click to Enlarge)

Throughout the 20th century, Metropolitan Life ran a series of ads encouraging parents to vaccinate their children against polio, diptheria, whooping cough, and other childhood diseases. When this ad ran in 1960, the polio vaccine had only been in use for five years, but most people were eager to vaccinate: the 1952 polio epidemic was the worst outbreak in the nation’s history. Of the nearly 58,000 cases reported that year, 3,145 people died and 21,269 were left with mild to disabling paralysis.

Lilly: Whatever Happened to the Quarantine Sign? November 16, 1963 (Click to Enlarge)

Scarlet Fever is an infection caused by the same bacteria that causes strep throat. Before the nineteenth century, it was considered a fairly bengin childhood disease, but it became more deadly in the 1800s. According to http://aetiologyblog.com, childhood fatality rates reached 30% in the U.S. and U.K. from 1840 to 1883. Children and their familities were quarantined for weeks to reduce the spread of the disease. Then, just as mysteriously, death rates declined. Between its reduced virulence and the introduction of antibiotics, scarlet fever became much less of a threat.

The near-eradication of polio is one of medicine’s biggest success stories. Polio was officially eliminated from the U.S. in 1991. As of 2016, there were only 42 cases of polio in the world, down from 350,000 in 1988. Polio remains a stubborn problem in a handful of countries, where distribution of the vaccine has been thwarted because of war, remoteness, or suspicion.

]]>Following World War II, with a booming economy, cheap gas, and a growing highway system, Americans were driving more miles every year, and buying more cars. In the 1950s, the iconic Cadillac tail fin became a symbol of prosperity, and it continued to grow until, in 1959, it was over a foot high. The ’60s would usher in the muscle cars. Inspired by the success of the 1965 Ford Mustang, we soon had GM’s powerful GTO and plenty more like it. Here is a sampling of the sumptuous and seductive mid-century automotive ads that helped sell those cars, selected from our new special collector’s edition, American Cars: 1940s, ’50s & ’60s.

]]>It’s appropriate that the Post acknowledges Mr. Peanut this February 23. After all, his national ad campaign was launched in our magazine exactly 100 years ago with the page below.

He was the product of a contest held by the Planter’s Nut and Chocolate Company. They offered a $5 prize for the best idea for a new trademark. The winning idea, created by a 14-year-old boy, was further developed by the company, which wanted to present Planter’s as a higher class of nut. So they added aristocratic touches to his minimal wardrobe: a top hat, spats, and monocle.

]]>Back in the 1800s, crackers were sold in bulk in open barrels in general stores. They were frequently stale by the time they were purchased. Then, in the 1890s, Adolphus Green created the National Biscuit Company and developed a lighter, flakier cracker that would stay crisper longer, thanks to a nearly airtight package. A liner using interfolded wax paper and cardboard kept out moisture and prevented the crackers from losing their crunch. To emphasize this feature, the company created a mascot: a boy in a rain slicker, usually shown in a downpour, carrying a box of Uneeda Biscuits.

By 1904, when this full-page ad appeared in the Post, that boy would have been a familiar sight to readers. They’d already been subjected to the company’s $7 million advertising campaign, the first to introduce a new product to the entire nation. It had been so successful that Uneeda ads didn’t have to bother using copy to sing the praises of the cracker. The National Biscuit Company, soon to be known as Nabisco, simply showed the familiar mascot.

This article appears in “The Vault” section of the March/April 2018 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Subscribe to the magazine for more art, inspiring stories, fiction, humor, and features from our archives.

]]>Vintage Advertising: Remembering the 20th Century Limitedhttp://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/12/02/archives/advertisements-archives/vintage-ads-remembering-20th-century-limited.html
http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/12/02/archives/advertisements-archives/vintage-ads-remembering-20th-century-limited.html#commentsSat, 02 Dec 2017 15:00:03 +0000http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/?p=128289Once considered the greatest train in the world, The 20th Century Limited made its last run from New York to Chicago fifty years ago, on December 2, 1967.

]]>Once considered the greatest train in the world, The 20th Century Limited made its last run from New York to Chicago fifty years ago, on December 2, 1967.

When it departed from New York’s Grand Central Terminal at 6:00 PM that Saturday night, it was obvious why the train was ending 65-year run. The once prestigious train, which for decades had been the first choice for the rich and famous on their way to New York, was only half full.

Passengers who boarded the train would have noticed that memento hunters had been at work. The iconic red-and-gray curtain that hung over the Limited’s gate had already been stolen. Menus in the dining car were quickly disappearing. The police were guarding the train’s famous 100-yard red carpet, with its distinctive art nouveau logo, to ensure it didn’t disappear as well. It helped distinguish the Limited from every other train pulling out of Grand Central and it originated the term “red carpet treatment.”

Passengers enjoyed luxurious décor and gourmet dining that featured lobster and filet mignon. Cocktails were served in three club cars, though employees claimed that half the drinks were consumed in private rooms or suites.

Like everyone else, the railroads saw revenues fall during the Depression. Where the Limited had once presented itself as the fastest and most luxurious route, in 1936 it advertised itself as the most practical. Its commercial passengers, they argued, were so well rested after 16 hours of travel, they were better prepared for business.

In 1948, the Limited got another new look from the same designer who created the streamliner. The new Limited switched to diesel power and its modernized furnishings now included phone service on board.

The Limited liked to emphasize its “Water Level Route” that followed the shore of Lake Erie and the Hudson River. It was a more restful ride, the railroad argued, than the route taken by its competitor, The Pennsylvania Railroad, which had to cross mountains.

Train travel declined after World War II, and air travel started becoming more affordable. When the New York Central decided to end the legendary rail service, many of its long-time passengers took one last ride. The last run of the Limited marked the end of an era.

]]>http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/12/02/archives/advertisements-archives/vintage-ads-remembering-20th-century-limited.html/feed1Vintage Advertising: Happy 100th Birthday to the Typewriterhttp://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/09/18/archives/advertisements-archives/vintage-ads-happy-100th-birthday-typewriter.html
http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/09/18/archives/advertisements-archives/vintage-ads-happy-100th-birthday-typewriter.html#commentsMon, 18 Sep 2017 16:57:37 +0000http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/?p=126227Expensive and impractical, the earliest typewriters were still a godsend to businesses. These vintage advertisements from Underwood, Remington, Oliver, and others show the evolution of this critical business machine.

]]>100 years ago this month, E. Remington and Sons sold their first typewriter. This early model had several drawbacks. Typists could not see the words as they were being typed and the machine was only capable of typing capital letters. But it was a working model, and it featured the QWERTY keyboard layout that has been standard ever since.

It took years before the typewriter established itself as a business machine. But by 1874, Mark Twain was typing his manuscripts. In his autobiography, he wrote:

I will now claim — until dispossessed — that I was the first person in the world to apply the type-machine to literature… That early machine was full of caprices, full of defects — devilish ones… After a year or two I found that it was degrading my character, so I thought I would give it to [author William Dean] Howells. He was reluctant… But I persuaded him. He had great confidence in me, and I got him to believe things about the machine that I did not believe myself. He took it home to Boston, and my morals began to improve, but his have never recovered.

By 1899, the demand for typewriters was high enough to justify advertising in the Post.

This is the first typewriter ad to appear in the Post. The design might look clumsy, but the Oliver typewriter offered one key improvement. Typists could actually see the letters they had just typed.

The first Remington typewriter ad appeared in 1899.

The Smith Premier Typewriter Co. was launched in 1886. This model had a larger-than-average keyboard — six rows of character keys instead of the usual four. The extra keys were needed for upper and lower cases.

The Fox Typewriter Company of Grand Rapids made several models, including a portable version. The business folded after a lawsuit for patent infringement by the Corona typewriter company.

The Royal Typewriter Company’s ad talked of taking the exertion out of typing. If you ever had to use a manual, pre-electric typewriter, you know how you had to “punch” the keys, not at all like today’s keyboards. This model’s $100 price is the equivalent of $2,400 today.

In Corona’s ad for its portable model, they show a woman with their typewriter. This might have been meant to emphasize how lightweight it was, but also acknowledged a new market that had opened up. Typewriters gave women wanting to earn their own income a chance to pick up a valuable skill that was in great demand in the business world.

Underwood Typewriters were extremely popular; by the 1920s, they had sold two million machines. To keep up with demand, they modernized their factory until it was able to turn out one typewriter a minute.

By 1955, there was a new name in the typewriter industry: International Business Machines. IBM was the only typewriter manufacturer to survive the migration from typewriters to computers.

]]>http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/09/18/archives/advertisements-archives/vintage-ads-happy-100th-birthday-typewriter.html/feed2Vintage Advertising: The New Frigidairehttp://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/09/07/in-the-magazine/vintage-ads-new-frigidaire.html
http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/09/07/in-the-magazine/vintage-ads-new-frigidaire.html#commentsThu, 07 Sep 2017 13:00:38 +0000http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/?p=125510The fridge entered the kitchen 100 years ago, when most Americans still had iceboxes. These vintage Frigidaire ads capture the allure of these stylish new appliances.

]]>In 1919, General Motors bought a small company that was producing an alternative to the icebox. It was a compact refrigeration unit with a storage compartment above a compressor. GM called it the Frigidaire and used mass-production techniques to drive down the price from $775 per unit when it first bought the company to $180 in 1930. (Even that cost — the equivalent to $2,600 today — was prohibitive for most families, and GM offered financing for its refrigerators, just as it did for the family sedan.)

George Gibbs/ Ladies Home Journal

In this color ad from 1930, the company showed its refrigerator as a part of the stylish kitchen in a modern home. The kitchen is decorated with then-fashionable checkered linoleum and dark green curtains on the windows, plus a homemaker who finds cooking so easy she makes dinner wearing pearls and high heels. At the time of this ad’s appearance, over 90 percent of Americans still lived in the icebox era. But the allure of consistent refrigeration ultimately won Americans over. By 1940, nearly every home had a refrigerator.

This gallery of vintage Frigidaire hints not only at Frigidaire’s growth and the rapid acceptance of home refrigeration, but technological advances in magazine advertising as well.

Selling 100,000 refrigerators seems like a small milestone by today’s standards, but when this ad appeared in November 1925, the vast majority of Post readers were still using ice boxes. Ads like this hoped to convince readers not only of a Frigidaire’s usefulness, but of its growing popularity.

Less than seven months later, the number of “satisfied users” had increased by at least 50 percent. This ad’s appeal to pride is an early example of creating an emotional link between a product and a consumer — what we think of as branding today — in order to build brand loyalty.

The focus in this ad is on buying a Frigidaire, not using it, so it is directed at the family breadwinner. That is perhaps why this ad, unlike most others, depicts a man — presumably the woman’s husband — in the kitchen. This sort of casual sexism, though unremarkable when this ad appeared in July 1926, would get lambasted today.

This ad from July 1927 touts the luxuries of Frigidaire’s new model, including “ample food capacity” of “practically FIVE CUBIC FEET of food storage space.” By today’s standards, this would be a large mini-fridge; even the smallest upright refrigerators of today have nearly 10 cubic feet of storage space.

By April of 1928, when this ad appeared, Frigidaire had shifted from touting the convenience and popularity of its refrigerators to marketing them as a “vital safeguard to health.” The preference for checkered linoleum in the kitchen is still going strong here, too.

In February of 1929, Frigidaire models offered six “freezing speeds” that let owners create ice cubes and chilled desserts even faster. Notice how the advertisers subtly reinforce how cold the freezer can get by having the guest wearing a hat and fur-lined coat.

By mid-1935, Frigidaire was touting cutting edge refrigerator technology, including that “Super Freezer,” an all-porcelain interior, and — a fairly new innovation — a light bulb the turns on when you open the door.

A lot changed after World War II — for the United States and for Frigidaire, as you can see in this ad from September 1948. Gone are the checkered linoleum floor and bare walls, replaced by a solid floor and hand-painted cabinet doors and wall trim. Frigidaire offered nine different models, and these were the first to have completely separated refrigerator and freezer sections.

An abridged version of this article is featured in the September/October 2017 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Subscribe to the magazine for more art, inspiring stories, fiction, humor, and features from our archives.

]]>http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/09/07/in-the-magazine/vintage-ads-new-frigidaire.html/feed3Vintage Advertising: Kodak Cameras from 1901-1965http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/09/04/archives/advertisements-archives/vintage-ads-kodak-cameras-1901-1965.html
http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/09/04/archives/advertisements-archives/vintage-ads-kodak-cameras-1901-1965.html#commentsMon, 04 Sep 2017 14:00:22 +0000http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/?p=125924In 1888, George Eastman was granted a patent for a dry-plate camera, and for the first time, photography became available to nearly everyone.

]]>On September 4, 1888, George Eastman received a patent for a camera that used his dry-plate technology on celluloid film. Until Eastman came along, photography was a cumbersome and expensive business. Images could only be captured on wet photographic plates, which had to be made up on the spot and immediately used.

Eastman needed a trademark name for his film and cameras that was short, unique and memorable, and used his favorite letter: “k.” “Kodak” was the result.

These advertisements that appeared in the Postshow not only the evolution of Eastman’s cameras, but also changes in advertising from 1901-1965.

Kodak was a frequent advertiser in the Post. Here is one of its first full-page ads. Note that the Kodak ads showed women using the camera more often than men. Eastman wanted to emphasize that his cameras were extremely portable. Unlike the heavy, awkward bellows cameras of professionals, they didn’t require a lot of muscle to move around. Also, women represented a promising new market.

Kodak’s convenience would profoundly affect American society by making photography accessible to average Americans. They could photograph ordinary objects and commonplace activities that might never have been recorded by professional photographers.

Originally, users were required to mail their camera, with its exposed film, back to the company, which would remove and develop the film, then return the camera loaded with fresh film.

Owners of Eastman’s cameras and film could take pictures on a whim, which enabled them to photograph their friends looking relaxed and natural — a far better reflection of personal character than a formal portrait.

In previous wars, soldiers had carried formal photographic portraits of their wives, sweethearts, or families. By World War II, they would get recent snapshots that showed how the folks back home looked and what they were doing.

Cameras kept getting smaller, and flash photography now used flash cubes. They let you take four indoor pictures without changing flash bulbs. A motor would automatically advance your film for the next exposure.

]]>http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/09/04/archives/advertisements-archives/vintage-ads-kodak-cameras-1901-1965.html/feed1Vintage Advertising: 1940s Father’s Day Giftshttp://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/06/15/archives/advertisements-archives/vintage-advertisements-1940s-fathers-day-gifts.html
Thu, 15 Jun 2017 16:44:40 +0000http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/?p=123434While you ponder what to get dad for Father’s Day, these vintage advertisements offer a glimpse into traditional gifts of the past.

In former times, many men wore “office attire” at work. An integral part of this attire was the semi-formal shirt. Custom demanded that the shirt be not only spotless, but starched and pressed so that the shirt had the consistency of cardboard. Men wore these shirts all day long, which is perhaps why the end of the work day and its “happy hour” was so popular.

The fountain pen was the next step in evolution after the quill pen and ink bottle. It could be quite ornate, expensive, and capable of producing a line of ink on a page so fine and even, it was like poetry. But when dropped, fountain pens invariably landed on their writing point and never again worked properly. Or, for mysterious reasons, they released their ink, usually while in a shirt pocket, which would never come clean again, hence the need for shirts on every Father’s Day.

A tie was an accessory of male attire that was worn around the neck and fastened in a knot, often too tight to allow comfort. The tie required the wearer’s shirt collar to remain closed, adding to the wearer’s discomfort. And spilled food invariably landed on a tie instead of a shirt. Naturally, good ties were made of silk, which couldn’t be washed.

The bow tie was the mark of the well-behaved rebel, a man unafraid of being thought independent or eccentric. The art of tying a bow tie was gradually lost over time until most men relied on a clip-on bow tie, which they wore on the rare occasions they were part of a wedding party.

Before the baseball cap became the de rigeur headgear, men’s hats were more elaborate. Made from straw or felt, they could be very expensive and were treated with great care. They were never worn indoors, but always worn in public where the style, and not the designer’s named on the crown, reflected the wearer’s personality.

You may have seen some of these items in old movies. They were more convenient than matches for lighting tobacco. A man who could confidently manipulate a cigarette lighter, deftly bringing a flame to a woman’s face as she placed a cigarette between her lips, was considered sophisticated, which was a good thing back then.

In the distant past, pipes were principally used for smoking wholly legal tobacco. They were considered “manly,” because, like cigars, they were only used by men. Other than Joseph Stalin, pipe smokers rarely caused anyone trouble.

Shaving was once far more hazardous process than it is today. Until electric razors appeared, men used single blades. Although they had a shaving edge on both sides, they were less efficient than today’s multi-blade varieties. And occasionally they would nick a shaver’s face — quickly, easily, and cruelly.

A wrist watch was exactly what its name implied: a watch worn on the wrist. Popular with women in the 1910s, they were considered too effeminate for men to wear until soldiers adopted them in World War I. Thereafter, no man was considered properly prepared for the day without attaching a timepiece to his wrist band instead of his belt clip. (Watches only told time; they did not take pictures or sent text messages.)

]]>Vintage Advertising: RCA’s 1920s Radioshttp://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/06/14/in-the-magazine/rcas-home-entertainment-center.html
http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/06/14/in-the-magazine/rcas-home-entertainment-center.html#commentsWed, 14 Jun 2017 13:05:42 +0000http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/?p=122013Check out these late-1920s vintage advertisements from RCA, when their Radiola was all the rage.

By the late 1920s, everyone in America had to have a radio. The crystal receivers in the attic attached to a headset had only recently evolved into an elegant receiver in a wooden cabinet in the living room. The industry leader was Radio Corporation of America, which had patented its “super-heterodyne circuitry” in its Radiola models, solving the earlier problem of fading stations and fluctuating volume.

But these systems didn’t come cheap. The Radiola 33 sold for $77 — over $1,000 in today’s currency. To justify the investment, RCA’s advertising reflected the quality of its radios. In a series of full-page color ads, they portrayed Radiola owners wearing tuxedos and evening gowns, in stylish settings, listening to airy orchestras. The inference was only a slight exaggeration. Americans still considered radio a marvel of modern technology that brought a more elegant, more entertaining world into their homes.

An abridged version of this article is featured in the May/June 2017 issue ofThe Saturday Evening Post.Subscribe to the magazine for more art, inspiring stories, fiction, humor, and features from our archives.

Here are some great RCA radio ads that we didn’t have room to include in the magazine. Enjoy!

]]>http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/06/14/in-the-magazine/rcas-home-entertainment-center.html/feed1Vintage Advertising: The Lincoln Memorialhttp://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/05/30/archives/advertisements-archives/vintage-ads-lincoln-memorial.html
Tue, 30 May 2017 18:00:02 +0000http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/?p=122927Advertisers have used the imposing grandeur of the Lincoln Memorial to sell everything from train trips to tombstones.

]]>After decades of planning, budgeting, and construction, the Lincoln Memorial was finally dedicated on May 30, 1922. Americans were proud of this beautiful monument and eager to visit it. Companies wasted no time using the memorial to advertise a connection to their products. These advertisements appeared in the Post between 1921 and 1948 and hawked everything from tires to tombstones.

The Lincoln Memorial has taken on additional layers of meaning since the 1920s. As Jay Sacher noted, “the memorial is cultural shorthand for both American ideals and 1960s radicalism.” It is rarely seen in ads anymore. The memorial still makes regular film appearances, an easy stand-in for Heavy Symbolism. However it is used, the Lincoln Memorial will continue to transcend the banal appropriations of its image.

We’re not sure what the Lincoln Memorial had to do with a company that made ledger sheets and looseleaf binders, but they seemed to hope that the monument would lend them an air of dignity. The Lincoln Memorial certainly didn’t represent “cutting office costs,” as its construction costs in today’s dollars were north of $40 million.

Many Americans wanted to visit this new monument, but how were they to get there? The Baltimore & Ohio Line, of course – the “only route New York, Chicago and St. Louis, passing directly through Washington, where liberal stop-over privilege is accorded.” (No such privileges for the conservatives?)

The Lincoln Memorial once again gets low billing. In case you can’t read the caption, it says, “Newlyweds Betty and Bob Graves from Connecticut gaze at themselves and the Lincoln Memorial in Washington’s famous Reflecting Pool. What Betty really sees is a picture of herself getting delicious, economical breakfasts for Bob in her own little house with her new glass coffee pot and the heavenly new Chase & Sanborn Dated Drip Grind Coffee in the money saving package!” Our research was unable to confirm if that’s what Betty was actually seeing.

Pharmaceutical manufacturer Squibb offers inspiring words – “The stones supporting that message may ultimately crumble. The words may disappear. But the ideas which they symbolize will live as long as men walk the earth.” (Buy our drugs.)

The argument is that the Lincoln Memorial is made out of marble, so your tombstone should be, too. “Wise is the person who follows this example when selecting material for memorial or building purposes.”

We threw in this ad just to show that the Lincoln Memorial wasn’t the only monument used in the service of advertisers. The sculptor of Mt. Rushmore ostensibly took Bromo-Seltzer for his headaches. Early versions of this medicine contained sodium bromide, a tranquilizer. That may not have been such a good idea when he was dangling off the side of Lincoln’s nose.

]]>Ask the Man Who Owns One: Packard Ads from 1908-1953http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/05/03/archives/advertisements-archives/ask-man-owns-one-packard-ads-1908-1953.html
http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/05/03/archives/advertisements-archives/ask-man-owns-one-packard-ads-1908-1953.html#commentsWed, 03 May 2017 12:00:54 +0000http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/?p=122339Packards were the dominant luxury vehicle in the first half of the twentieth century. Here are some of our favorite Packard ads from the magazine.

“Like the beautiful proportions of Eastern architecture which centuries have been unable to improve upon, Packard lines have set a standard which the whole motor industry has been unable to more than copy.”

In 1934, Packard tried an early version of “social media,” creating a booklet with the names of people in the local community who had bought Packards. “Ask them the questions given, and any others you may think of. Then follow their verdict.”

“The Electromatic Drive, for example, is a revelation in simplified automatic driving. The clutch operates itself with uncanny skill…And available in all closed Packards, at extra cost, is a sensational new Packard “first” — real, refrigerated Air Conditioning!”

This Packard ad features Alicia Markova, “Universally Acclaimed World’s Greatest Ballerina,” although she is neither interacting with nor endorsing Packards. Packard stopped making cars five years later, in 1958. The last Packard ad ran in the post in February of 1957, after the company had purchased Studebaker and changed its name to Studebaker-Packard.

]]>http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/05/03/archives/advertisements-archives/ask-man-owns-one-packard-ads-1908-1953.html/feed5Vintage Advertising: Bicycle Cards Are Named For a Crazehttp://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/04/24/in-the-magazine/vintage-advertising-bicycle-cards-named-craze.html
Mon, 24 Apr 2017 13:21:25 +0000http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/?p=120835How did Bicycle brand playing cards get their name?

Back in 1885, when the Russell and Morgan Printing Company was preparing to launch a new line of playing cards, the company asked its employees to suggest a catchy, memorable brand name. The winning suggestion was the name of the popular item that was then sweeping the nation: the bicycle. Today, Bicycle is the top-selling playing card in the country, and its rider back design, shown in the ad above, is so well known that magicians choose it because it is so recognizable as a playing card.

Russell and Morgan, which started out producing circus posters in 1867, is now the United States Playing Card Company. Over the decades, it has produced several unique styles of cards, including a deck made for POWs during World War II: When the faces of these cards were peeled away, the cards could be assembled to reveal an escape map of Germany.

Parlor games come and go, yet playing cards are still in high demand. This year, the U.S. Playing Card Company will manufacture over 80 million decks.

This article is featured in the March/April 2017 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Subscribe to the magazine for more art, inspiring stories, fiction, humor, and features from our archives.

]]>Advertisement Gallery: War Sellshttp://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/02/15/archives/advertisements-archives/advertisement-gallery-war-sells.html
Wed, 15 Feb 2017 20:46:12 +0000http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/?p=120572World War II was the most widespread and deadlist war in history, but it was also handy for selling soup! These 1942 ads used the conflict to sell everything from magnesium to motor oil.

]]>World War II was the most widespread and deadlist war in history, but it was also handy for selling soup! These 1942 ads used the conflict to sell everything from magnesium to motor oil.

International Harvester Company

“At Harvester factories in this country and Canada, men are looking forward and helping to strengthen Democracy for the job ahead.”

The General Tire & Rubber Co.

“It is tangible assurance to the user that his tires are delivering the kind of mileage that can help to conserve America’s stockpile of rubber.”

Campbell’s Tomato Soup

“Tomatoes for England! Tomatoes for our boys! Tomatoes for you!”

Dodge Trucks

“More than 75,000 Dodge trucks have been delivered to the American Army — and Dodge is continuing to build as many more as the Army requires.”

Allison Aircraft Engines

“America has in the Allison the finest aircraft engine in the world.”

Dot Snap Fasteners

“Onions, K. P duty, and that good old Army “slum” will probably always be the same. But the new Army gas mask is really new. Even The two Lift-the-Dot fasteners that hold it safe and instantly ready in its carrier have been streamlined and improved under Army engineering direction.”

Pyroil

“Be prepared with Pyroil! Ask your service man—today—to add a mere three ounces of Pyroil to the gasoline tank; twelve ounces to the crankcase. Then you’ll know why so many all-weather motorists all over the world say, I wouldn’t drive a mile without Pyroil!”

Dow Chemical Co.

“Magnesium, therefore, is of deep interest to every American who holds dear the national heritages of our past—the hopes of our future.”

Warren’s Printing Papers

“Among the many uncertainties of the future, one thing can be foreseen. After the boom is over, business will need friends who will buy goods.”

New England Mutual

“My ‘armament’ is all ready for action. What about you fellows back home?”